GAI started grading packs in '03, PSA said (Joe Orlando at the registry luncheon in Cleveland) in '04 that it was too late for them to start, GAI already had the market, and the market was small. As GAI started imploding PSA changed their mind in late '06, only to do so in a holder that potentially damaged the pack inside, and to many pack collectors (myself included) was not anywhere near as aesthetically pleasing as GAI's.
GAI made a few mistakes, the most notable of which was authenticating a large run of bogus grocery cellos, but PSA has had their problems with bogus cellos as well. But for the most part they did a pretty good job of getting it right, especially at the beginning.
|